Daniel Sarewitz - US grants

The Philippine Fault, an active, left-lateral strike-slip fault, transects almost the entire length of the Philippine Archipelago. It is one of several major strike-slip fault systems worldwide that occur at obliquely converging intra-oceanic plate boundaries. This and a collaborative project (EAR87-07345) will study the genesis and emplacement of metamorphic rocks that occur along the fault. Some of these metamorphic rocks-- greenschist-facies metavolcanics, amphibolites and serpentinites-- may be created at convergent suture zones, but we will test the hypothesis that at least some of them were generated entirely as a result of strike-slip related processes. We will use structural, geochronological and geochemical techniques to determine if the deformational and metamorphic history of metamorphic rocks is consistent with their creation along the Philippine Fault, rather than by collisional process. The common occurrence of major strick-slip faults at modern obliquely converging margins suggest that similar structures should occur as terrane boundaries in ancient active margin assemblages, but few such structures have been recognized. This may be because many petrologic and structural associations common to both convergent and strike-slip "sutures" are generally believed to be associated only with the former. By studying the origin of metamorphic rocks along an active strike-slip fault that also acts to juxtapose disparate terranes in the Philippines, we hope to establish a framework for recognizing such structures in old arc terranes.

Intra-arc basins are important but are little-studied component of complex island arc systems at consuming plate margins. These basins commonly mark the sites of important tectonic features such as major strike-slip faults, incipient rifts, or trapped fragments of ocean crust. The lack of investigation of these basins has resulted in an inadequate appreciation of their significance, in both modern and ancient arc terrances. In this award the investigators would study several marine and non-marine intra-arc basins in the Central Philippine archipelago. They will use a combination of marine geophysical and geological tools such as SeaMarc II Sonar, Single Channel Seismic profiler, Piston corer, etc., along with land geological survey techniques. This investigation will focus on the present-day tectonic setting and detailed structural evolution of basins, as well as on their stratigraphic and sedimentologic histories, and the spatial and temporal relations between sedimentation, volcanism and tectonism. The study is intended to solve regional problems, and to contribute to the general understanding of processes of internal disruption and sedimentation in island arcs, and to develop practicable criteria for identifying intra-arc basins in ancient, accreted arc terranes. The investigators have an excellent record of working in the Philippines water and the project has very high chances of being successful.

Policy makers increasingly demand predictive information that can help guide political decision-making on controversial environmental issues that include global climate change, radioactive waste disposal, and mitigation of natural hazards such as hurricanes and earthquakes. As a result of this demand, major financial and intellectual resources in the earth sciences are now focused on the development of models and techniques for predicting the future behavior of natural and human-induced environmental phenomena Environmental problems and controversies are becoming more pervasive and severe. At the same time, research budgets are becoming tighter. Thus, the importance of effective prioritization and allocation of research funds and activities is increasing, as is the need for timely and effective political decision making. Whereas accurate, relevant predictions may help decision makers respond to some environmental problems, the misapplication or misuse of prediction research can undermine policy goals, waste scarce financial and intellectual resources, and erode the overall credibility of the scientific enterprise. For example, political response to given issue may be deferred in anticipation of the availability of accurate predictive data, even when the success of such a response does not depend on predictive knowledge. Neither policy makers nor scientists possess information necessary for understanding if, how, and when research focusing on prediction can be productively applied to policy making. This project begins a process of systematic analysis that can provide such information. Two workshops will be convened to bring scientists, policy makers, and policy analysts together to develop, present, and integrate case histories in predictive earth science research (past and ongoing). Workshops will focus on the delineation of principles and criteria that can help policy makers judge the potential value of scientific prediction as applied to different types of political and social problems related to the environment. Such principles and criteria may be necessary for the design of science and environmental policies that are fiscally responsible, scientifically efficient, and socially constructive. Towards this end, a significant component of this project will be the dissemination of workshop findings to the relevant scientific and policy-making communities through publications and presentations.

CMS-0084727
Sarewitz, Daniel R.
Extreme events, ranging from earthquakes to epidemics to computer viruses, cause major societal disruption. Yet extreme events are also normal aspects of evolving complex systems, and may be beneficial (e.g., floods contribute to ecosystem health). Scientific approach to understanding, preparing for, and responding to extreme events are Balkanized among disciplines, institutions, and sectors. In this project, we are convening experts involved with extreme events from a variety of perspectives, as a first step toward developing an integrated research and policy approach to address the implications of extreme events in an increasingly global society.

A symposium gathers together outstanding scholars, analysts, and practitioners in science and technology policy who are within seven years of their PhDs. It provides an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas and to present their work to a high-level (senior) audience. This research symposium is oriented toward eight theme tracks in science and technology policy:
New history of science and technology policy.
R&D program analysis and evaluation
Expertise, advice, assessment, and evaluation
Science, technology, and human needs and values
Science, technology, and international issues
Science education, human resources, and workforce
Science and technology policy institutions and processes
Science, technology, and the public.
Proposals for these tracks were broadly solicited and peer reviewed for acceptance. Accepted authors were funded to attend the workshop held in Washington, DC. Senior scholars and practitioners served as discussants. The new scholarship presented and the interaction among academics and practitioners have the potential to improve policy and programs and to benefit education in science and technology policy in a variety of ways. An edited book containing the presented papers will be published.

Science policy decisions shape the conduct and output of climate research and therefore help determine the knowledge and tools available to support climate policy decisions. Both science policy and climate policy decisions are made under conditions of ongoing uncertainty, but the uncertainties associated with science policy decisions have received little if any attention. To begin to address this neglect, Science Policy Assessment and Research on Climate (SPARC) will investigate the relationship between science policy and climate policy decisions from two perspectives. First, SPARC will explore how climate research agendas are developed and implemented, with a particular focus on understanding how the organization of climate research ("supply") relates to the information needs of climate policy decision makers ("demand"). Second, SPARC will investigate the relative magnitude of various sources of global environmental change in order to better understand the relation between the causes of global change and the priorities of the U.S. climate science portfolio. Key cross-cutting themes in each of these efforts will include the role and behavior of science policy institutions and the influence of ethics and values on science policy decisions.

Society's strategy for responding to and preparing for climate change in the face of ongoing uncertainty hinges upon scientific knowledge. But are scientists generating the knowledge that decision makers need to confront this challenge? SPARC will be a first step toward developing the methods, knowledge, and tools that can help science policy decision makers answer this question and help them make decisions that can ensure the maximum social value of the Nation's investment in climate science. SPARC research will combine novel approaches to advance fundamental understanding of the social value of research with the development of practical decision tools for science policy. SPARC will closely involve stakeholders and practitioners in science policy to ensure that its results are available to and understood by those who can benefit from them and to improve mutual understanding among science policy makers, scientists, and those who can benefit from climate science information. This award was supported as part of the Fiscal Year 2003 Human and Social Dynamics priority area special competition on Decision Making Under Uncertainty (DMUU).

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU) helps ensure "that advances in nanotechnology bring about improvements in the quality of life for all Americans" (PL 108-153). The Center's vision is that research into the societal aspects of nanoscale science and engineering (NSE), carried out in close collaboration with NSE scientists and combined with public engagement, will improve deliberation and decision making about NSE. CNS-ASU builds the capacity to address the societal implications of NSE by creating a broad institutional network, instituting a coherent research program, promoting innovative educational opportunities, and engaging in meaningful participation and outreach activities, especially with under-represented communities. Its goal is nothing less than charting a path toward new ways of organizing the production of knowledge and developing and testing new processes of anticipatory governance to meet the emerging promises and challenges of NSE.

CNS-ASU joins Arizona State University with the University of Wisconsin - Madison, the Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and other universities, individuals, and groups in the academic and private sector, as well as the International Nanotechnology and Society Network (www.nanoandsociety.org) that ASU is developing. At ASU, the project's two guiding organizations are the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes (www.cspo.org), which provides an institutional home for science and technology policy scholarship and engagement, and the Biodesign Institute (www.biodesign.org), which provides a substrate of NSE research and a test bed for interdisciplinary collaboration.

CNS-ASU will implement a program of research and engagement called "real-time technology assessment" (RTTA), which consists of four methods of inquiry: mapping the research dynamics of the NSE enterprise and its anticipated societal outcomes; monitoring the changing values of the public and of researchers regarding NSE; engaging researchers and various publics in deliberative and participatory forums; and reflexively assessing the impact of the information and experiences generated by its activities on the values held and choices made by the NSE researchers in its network. Through RTTA, CNS-ASU will probe the hypothesis that trajectories of NSE innovation can be steered toward socially desirable goals, and away from undesirable ones, by introducing a greater capacity for reflexiveness - that is, social learning that can expand the range of conscious choice - into knowledge-producing institutions. It organizes the research around two broad NSE-in-society themes: freedom, privacy, and security; and human identity, enhancement, and biology.

The Center's educational and training plan includes innovations at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral level that encourage interdisciplinary opportunities among NSE students and social science and humanities students. Partnerships with proven programs, including the Hispanic Research Center (www.asu.edu/clas/hrc) and the Center for Ubiquitous Computing (http://cubic.asu.edu), ensure recruitment and retention of students from under-represented groups. A collaboration with the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (http://cresmet.asu.edu), CNS-ASU generates training modules for high school teachers in NSE-in-society.

Designed as a "boundary organization" at the interface of science and society, CNS-ASU provides an operational model for a new way to organize research through improved contextual awareness, which can signal emerging problems, enable anticipatory governance, and guide trajectories of NSE knowledge and innovation toward socially desirable outcomes, and away from undesirable ones. In pursuit of this broadest impact, CNS-ASU trains a cadre of interdisciplinary researchers to engage the complex societal implications of NSE; catalyzes more diverse, comprehensive, and adventurous interactions among a wide variety of publics potentially interested in and affected by NSE; and creates new levels of awareness about NSE-in-society among decision makers ranging from consumers to scientists to high level policy makers.

Science and innovation policies (SIPs) aim at mobilizing knowledge in support of a wide range of societal aspirations and values. However, analytical tools and models for the assessment of SIPs focus predominantly on economic values. Analytical tools for assessing social impacts of science tend to be anchored in microeconomics (e.g. benefit-cost analysis). The assumptions upon which economics of innovation models and attendant tools are based inevitably affect SIP assessments and choices. For example, the tendency to focus on "science and technology as the engine of economic growth" has contributed in part to the limited attention to equity in the distribution of the impacts of research activities. Values not easily expressed in economic terms receive less attention simply owing to the absence of compelling and concrete ways of thinking about them.
Nearly all observers, including economists, recognize that some social values are not well accounted for by economic models and measures. The influence of economic models in SIP is in part explained by limited progress in developing ways to conceptualize those science- and innovation-related values not easily expressed in monetary terms. The purpose of this study is to further develop a public-values-based model for SIP. At the core of this work are two fundamental questions: What are the public values that justify particular SIPs, and what is the capacity of a given SIP to yield outcomes that support and advance those values?
The research operationalizes these questions and applies them to the development of a SIP decision model using a method that the researchers term Public Value Mapping (PVM). Core assumptions of PVM are: (1) that it is possible to identify public values, including ones not well captured by economic constructs; (2) just as one can assess market failure, "public value failure" occurs when neither the market nor the public sector provides goods and services required to achieve designated public values; and (3) innovation can be characterized not only in terms of contributions to economic growth and productivity but also in terms of public values achieved.
This work entails theory development as well as case studies to advance and test the PVM model. Four case studies (as well as three additional studies funded from other sources) are then inter-linked by a common analytical framework, bringing multiple perspectives to the analysis. Case studies are designed specifically to draw from current PVM theory while also testing and improving the theory. Each case begins with an explicit statement of the public values analyzed, and proceeds to "map" progress toward public values by modeling the distinctive innovation process in which each case is embedded. Integration of case studies adds empirical robustness to the PVM model.
A new model of innovation based on widely shared, non-economic values--public values--would represent a major intellectual advance in the study and analysis of science and innovation policies. This study: (1) advances understanding of the links between SIPs and public values; (2) further develops Public Value Mapping in terms of a "churn model" of innovation, emphasizing the social impacts of innovations and the capacity of innovation systems to create new beneficial impacts; and (3) develops the PVM model as a new theoretically and empirically grounded foundation for assessing and designing SIPs.
The new model of innovation will provide SIP analysts a theoretical and methodological foundation for assessing and informing science and innovation investment and institutional design decisions, using public values as the measure of success. The model is also meant to be a crucial first step toward developing public-values-oriented SIP decision tools that could be widely deployed in SIP decision making processes.

For the HSD initiative, Embryo research provides a case study of rapidly changing science within radically contested contexts. As with any science, embryo research is embedded in webs of unsettled ethical, legal, political, religious, cultural, and social negotiations that shape the conduct of science, its diverse meanings, and the spectrum of decisions built upon such understandings. Embryo research starts with a scientific drive to understand development of the individual organism and is shaped by three clusters of factors: (1) technical, including experimental techniques, equipment, and the way results are presented (in publications and presentations) and represented (in images and models); (2) actors, laboratory settings, institutions, and local contexts of scientific and technical work; and (3) social/cultural/ intellectual/economic environments in which the work is done. These clusters of Technical, Actors/Places, and Social/Cultural all impact and are impacted by the science. Understanding each requires different disciplinary research approaches, and understanding interactions requires multi-disciplinary research strategies and methods. The factors combine to serve as "Agents of Change" shaping science in society. This project explores those agents of scientific change in a dynamic, interactive, integrative, interdisciplinary, international research environment. With regards to Intellectual Merit, we will accomplish two major intellectual goals. First is a rich understanding of the history and current state of embryo research, the factors involved, and the multiple contexts in which research is done. Because of the importance of embryo research, this is of powerful intellectual value itself. Furthermore, in bringing together multiple otherwise disparate areas of study related to this particular case, we will achieve a much richer understanding of the Agents of Change influencing each case of scientific change. Our hypotheses focus on selected episodes in which different factors had different relative importance, and we seek to analyze and understand the Agents of Change over time. All results will be part of the digital working environment of the Virtual Laboratory (VL) in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. We will archive research materials to be shared among different working teams, and will add scholarly interpretive essays and articles that will make up an on-line Resource Collection accessible to multiple users, in addition to traditional scholarly publications. With regards to Broader Impacts, this project has a several: (1) Working with a network of nearly 2 dozen collaborators in 6 countries and multiple disciplines, we will develop a true "collaboratory." By sharing materials and research questions, we will ask new questions within each discipline and learn of research materials, questions, and interpretations across disciplines. (2) The VL tested digital working environment makes that research possible by making all research materials and scholarly interpretations available to all users at all times. (3) The research will allow us to demonstrating how Agents of Change affect this case of Embryo Research in its societal contexts, including interpretations of the emerging patterns shaping science and societal decisions. This should also inform future decisions processes and policy-making. (4) In the final stages, we will develop Educational Materials for multiple user groups. A Postdoctoral Fellow, Graduate Student, and Undergraduates will all be members of the research team, and each will be trained individually while helping to add to the accumulating community results.

The transition of the US and the globe toward greater sustainability has emerged as one of the central policy challenges of the 21st century. This workshop examines how research in the field of science and technology studies (STS) can help contribute to US and global efforts to move toward greater sustainability. The workshop follows on and helps further advance the objectives of a recent meeting organized by scholars at Columbia University and sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The Columbia meeting highlighted the need for NSF and other funding agencies to begin to develop an ambitious agenda for the field of sustainability research. The workshop is organized to develop an important and timely piece of the sustainability agenda: namely, social and humanistic studies of the dynamic relationships among science, technology, and society.

The workshop takes place at the National Science Foundation in early Fall 2008, consisting of two days of thematic panels, plenary speakers, and open discussions. The workshop is diverse, drawing on research on a wide range of subfields within STS and neighboring fields of scholarly inquiry, including history of technology, environmental history, environmental sociology, sociology of technology, social studies of science and knowledge, anthropology of development, science and technology policy, environmental ethics and philosophy, philosophy of technology, and many others. These fields have already contributed substantially to our knowledge of sustainability and the environment and are poised to contribute even more substantially.

The workshop significantly advances STS as it relates to sustainability. It is designed: (1) to assess and highlight the current contributions of STS to understanding the sustainability challenge and possible solutions; (2) to develop a roadmap of future STS research priorities that would enhance the field's contributions to achieving a sustainability transition; (3) to begin to form a network of sustainability-oriented STS scholars that could guide and promote research on this topic within the STS community; and (4) to begin to identify strategies for connecting STS research on sustainability to research on sustainability policy, especially in the arena of science and technology policy.

This EAGER proposal funded by the Science, Technology and Society Program supports a workshop on science policy for younger scholars. The workshop reflects an awareness that complex problems of science, technology, and society are conspicuously, perhaps uniquely, apparent in national politics today. Yet there is an absence of a community of science policy scholars who can span the terrains of intellectual inquiry and real-world practice to contribute to public deliberation and democratic decision making on these problems. A national competition is conducted to identify members of the next generation of leaders of science and technology policy. Successful applicants are brought together for a workshop, hosted by Arizona State University?s Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes, aimed at helping them advance their careers, promote their ideas, develop new ideas and collaborations, develop their capabilities as public intellectuals, and catalyze their participation in an emergent network of potential science and technology policy leaders.

Science and innovation policies emerge from political decision-making processes, are implemented in political settings and are often aimed at addressing issues that are defined politically, and assessed in a political environment. Yet there is little research that systematically investigates the political aspects of science and technology policy. The workshop will develop a research agenda for better understanding the development, implementation, evolution, and assessment of science and innovation policy. The project will craft a future research agenda to addresses the types of questions faced by decision makers tasked with creating new science and technology policies and improving the implementation of existing policies.

The workshop will contribute to building a community of scholars focused on improving understanding of the interactions between politics and science and innovation policy, and articulating research opportunities, pressing questions and data needs. This project has the potential to provide evidence for a more solid basis for decisions regarding science and innovation policy as analysis typically does not consider political feasibility or the politics involved with implementation.